


RWBY Another Side Another Story : Knights of Valera

by ColeTReed



Category: RWBY
Genre: Another Side, Another story, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, RWBY Genderbend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-23 13:43:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2549642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColeTReed/pseuds/ColeTReed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yin Xiao Long is a fourteen year old wrecking ball.  After one too many run-ins with the police, he's forced into Beacon Military Academy by his other brother Rust Rose and his father.  Unless he wants to be shipped off to a Haeven Monastery, he's got to become a Knight of Valera and learn to control his abilities.  Along the way, he runs in with the famed artist Wyn Schnee, and a mysterious man named Braith Belladonna, who seems to have way too much money for a teenager.  While at Beacon, Yin will discover that things are not as calm as they should be for the Kingdom of Valera, and that a devious plot is underway that will shake the very foundation of Remnant.  Will he and his new "team" be able to uncover the mystery?  Read on and find out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Burn

_"Into a grim world we were born, as harbingers of light and the bringers of death and destruction to an unknown universe._

_Our generation knows nothing of our past, only recalling the heroic tales of centuries long gone.  Stories of Knights of Valor and the defeat of the Dark One._

_The truth of this generation is that we are mere remnants of a forgotten world._

_A forgotten world, which was lost to the ravages of time and advancement in the name of science and "precaution"._

_We will soon be at the brink of a war again, which will revive the darkness of our origin, and put us within the trying times which led to our ancestors' destruction._

_Will our lights flicker and fade?  Or will we burn away the darkness once and for all?"_

_"I choose to believe in our children.  Our world will be saved by a gentle, more honest, soul."_

_+++++_

Valera, the centermost kingdom in the world of Remnant, was a shining nation of "simple living".  

Unlike the kingdom of Atlalanta, the buildings weren't skyscrapers and countless factories that overgrew the populace 100 fold.  They were brick and mortar storefronts, cozy and practical for the laid-back citizens of Valera.

The kingdom of Valera was most definitely not like the desert nation of Vacaue, where the faunas-heavy population wore little to no clothing and lived in tents.  No, the Valera populace were fashion-conscious, wearing the brightest and most colorful outfits they could find as a mark of honor for the fallen soliders in the Color War.

Valera was certainly different than the militaristic country of Mistrael.  While the Valera Knights of Beacon were a force not to be meddled with, all of the Valera military were a voluntary force, instead of the conscripted army of Mistrael and their warlike "Games" they forced their young into.

Haeven was likely the closest nation to Valera in terms of "atmosphere".  Like Valera, Haeven was proud of their strict code of conduct and ethics.  The Valera and Haeven police forces were often in combat over their crime rates, which hovered almost exactly at .5 %.  Both nations enjoyed a peace that the other countries of the world could only dream of. 

At least, until the last night of spring, when the Valera crime rate spiked to .7%.  A spike which was caused by a single boy.

The warm night was of little comfort to the Valera police department as it was to the nighttime crowds shopping in the Vale district.  

A brick building with outdated iron bars that any pre-Beacon student could likely break with their fists or feet, the police department was off to the side of the main streets and was thankfully experiencing a low foot traffic rate that night.  Otherwise, they would have likely been witness to quite an unfortunate scene of the police department's greatest weakness.  

Groaning in the middle of their sparse police squad room, two women in their middle thirties were applying ice compacts to their faces.  They were bruised extensively, with their black and white detective suits torn in many places.  Burn marks were everywhere, even on their fire-proof black boots.  

" _Let me out of here!  They started the fight, I was just helping finish it!  I'm one of the good guys, why'd you lock me up instead of them!  Come on, let me out!"_ a loud male voice screamed from the lower basement area.  

The larger of the two women huffed, struggling to adjust herself in a more comfortable position.  It was as if her feet weighted the same as a ball and chain.  "How many times does this make it now Jolie?  A dozen?  Two dozen?  Why are we still dealing with this kid?" she asked hysterically, gently massaging her frayed afro. Part of it was still smoking with cinder flames falling to the ground.  Her ebony skin was even darker than usual, covered in soot and ash.

Jolie, a thin bean-pole of a person, unbuttoned her collar to breath a little easier.  She was hacking out a black smoke from her lungs.  "I don't know Blay, but I'm sick of it.  This kid has forced us to condemn three night clubs, a dust station, and half a dozen comic book stores.  If it wasn't for his father, I promise you that this kid would be shipped off to Mistrael and forced into their army by one of our council representatives.  This time though?  HA, good luck getting out of this one!  This is his third strick and he's _finally_ going to be out of here!" she exclaimed loudly.

Both women celebrated in unison, holding each other's hands and giggling eagerly. 

Unfortunately, the sound of one of their squadroom doors opening set both women on edge.  They stood up to their feet, trying desperately to not fall into pieces from the pain.

"Hey Jolie!  Hey Blay!  Sorry about this!" a warm voice echoed.  

Turning from the opening hallway and entering the squad-room was a tall male, just short of six feet in height.  He had brightly colored auburn hair spiked in the front, but flowing off in the back.  Small pieces of steel armor plating covered his chest, legs and shoulders.  They were covered by a black fabric, accented with silver crosses and dozens of hanging bullets wrapped loosely around his thin waist.  Strapped to his back was a long sword made of rose red metal and several gun-like parts jetting out from it.  It was far heavier than the man's body frame should have been capable of carrying, barely hidden by a red cape to alleviate gawking.  A stunning set of silver eyes met Jolie and Blay's, not unlike that of a puppy dog.

" _No Rust!  We are NOT letting him out again!  Thirty people were seriously injured, and there's enough property damage to warrant a war-crime!"_  Blay screeched angrily.

Chuckling nervously, Rust shook his head.  "Listen...  My dad has already talked to the club owner, and he's paying for all the damages so they can re-build.  They're going to drop the property destruction and arson charges, and with the thirty-odd now crippled criminals notwithstanding, I don't see any other charges here," he said weakly.  He tilted his head to the side, holding his hands out as though he were praying.  "Please?  Pretty please with sugar on top?  I promise this is the  _last_ time.  Dad's already decided what we're doing with him so he gets this under control!" he exclaimed.

Both Jolie and Blay collapsed into their chairs, sobbing hysterically.  

Jolie was the first to raise up, falling to her knees and tugging on the tail of Rust's pants.  " _Please!  Please, we are begging you!  Do not let that monster out again!  Let us take care of him once and for all!  The Xiao-Long family will be spared of any more embarrassment, and-"_

Rust chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.  "He's uh...  He's making Yin go to Beacon Military School with me this semester," he said silently.

With a speed not unlike a puma, both women were at the basement entrance in a heartbeat.  Jolie was dangling the cell keys in front of her face.  "We of the Valeara Police Department hereby waive any and all charges brought against Yin Xiao Long, and place him in the custody of his older brother, Rust Rose on previously made conditions," she said eagerly, in a more official tone of voice.

Rolling his eyes, Rust made his way toward the basement door.  The back heel of his shoe clopped loudly against the tiled floor.  "Thanks you two.  Sorry about all this again.  He's young, he'll learn!" he said shakily, laughing as he took the keys from Jolie.

"Just make sure he doesn't leave a crater in our jail cell like last time!" Blay ordered.

Opening the basement door, Rust found it slammed behind him within seconds of him entering the long staircase.  He walked down the spiraling stairs, holding the ancient wooden railing to keep him from slipping on the dewy stone stairs.  There was a chill in the new region, complete with atmospherically appropriate mist.  Not surprising, considering the cold suppressed weaker semblances and magic in humans. 

" _Let me out of here!  For the last time, they were Junior's henchmen and that was an illegal dust shop selling to those terrorists in the Blood Beasts!  I tried telling all of you for months, but you never listened to me!"_ the male voice shouted angrily.  It was the same tone from earlier in the evening.

Rust sighed.  "Yin, it's me, calm down," he said as he turned out of the staircase and into the near-empty basement level of the department.  Made entirely of stone from the early days of Valera's founding, the jail was a little-used part of the city.  The cells were all made of iron bars and wooden wastebuckets likely straight from the dark ages of construction.  This was true, except for one to the side, which was upgraded into platinum bars that were completely electrified and an anti-semblance seal that was glowing brightly in violet at the bottom, creating the cold mist-like atmosphere.

Inside of it was Rust's younger brother, Yin Xiao Long.  Having just turned fourteen, the lad barely stood at 5 feet in height, but wielded enough muscle tone to overpower his much more experienced older brother.  He dressed in a white leather vest that showed off 90% of his chest and arms, criss-crossing above the middle just below a purple pendant necklace.  His black leather pants were skin-tight, showing off a rather well-endowed area with little to the imagination.  Spiky short-cut hair tattered in places matched his eyes, a brilliant shade of platinum gold.  Yin's knuckles were wrapped with bandages like a boxer would have, and were bloody in places.  

"Rust!  Get me out of here!" Yin demanded, rushing away from one of the stone seating and just an inch away from the electrified walls.  

Sighing, Rust joined his brother's side and folded his arms.  "Do you have any idea how expensive that club was?  Dad had to dip into our family stock to get the owner to drop the charges this time!  You  _promised_ us that you wouldn't level a building ever again!" he said angrily, staring down at his younger brother with a glare of discontent.

Yin rolled his eyes.  "Look, Rust, it wasn't my fault!  Those guys were doing illegal dust trading to the faunus terrorists, the Blood Beasts!  I told the police _and_ the Knights of Valera all of this, and they didn't believe me!  They just told me to go on my way and not worry about it!" he shot back.  

"So the correct course of action is to break into the club, beat the living poop out of 30+ gangsters and then level the building with your overcharged semblance?" Rust asked.

Blushing, Yin glared away.  "That...  That last part was an accident.  I...  I didn't count how many hits I'd gotten in," he mumbled.

Rust palmed his head inside of his hand.  "Not again...  Yin, I thought you had your semblance under control?  How hard is it to count how many times you punch or kick someone?  You know that after fifty or more hits, you've  _got_ to discharge your stored energy, or it's just going to explode out of control one of these days and kill you!" he exclaimed.  Slowly, Rust huffed to himself.  "Listen, before I bail you out this time, you've got to make a promise to me and dad.  If you don't, we're shipping you off to a monastery in Haeven for a year so you can get everything under control and maybe learn some respect," he said quietly.

Yin's face went white.  "No...  Not a Haeven monastery!  They make you shave your head and be...  QUIET all the time!  Breathing exersizes and smooth jazz!  Anything but that!" he shouted.  In an act of desperation, Yin grabbed the electrified bars, shaking them out of fear.  The shock did little to injure his hands.  "Anything but that!  I'll promise you anything, _anything_!" he begged loudly.

A small smirk crossed Rust's face.  "Okay then.  The other option is to come with me to Beacon Military Academy and become a Knight of Valera.  We've already cleared it with Headmistress Ozlyn and Headmaster Glyn.  If you agree, I'll take you shopping tomorrow for your required armor, dust, and weaponry, and we ship off to Beacon Academy on Sunday afternoon," he said nervously.  He played with his fingertips, chuckling to himself.  There was a clear level of discontent reverberating in Rust's words.

"No....  No, not Military School!" Yin exclaimed, falling backwards and thudding his head against the stone floor.  "Ruuuuuust, why?  Why do you and date hate me so much?  I hate the Knights!  They're just pawns of the Royal Family and don't care about justice at all!  Plus, they'd make me wear clothes!" he whined loudly.

Rust shook his head.  "We don't hate you Yin!  We're just worried about you!  You go out all hours of the night, "fight crime", get arrested, and now pretty much all of Vale City hates you!  They hate you about as much as Roma," he offered sadly.  

Crossing his arms against his chest, Yin sighed.  "Rust, I...  I just want to do what's right.  Just like mom did," he whispered quietly.

With the set of keys that Jolie had given him, Rust deactivated the electrified bars and the semblance seal faded.  He unlocked the cell and offered his hand to Yin.  "I know Rust, and...  We'll both get there some day.  You and I want the same thing, which is to help people!  Then, not to be a butt-head, do you think you can still do that locked away in Haeven?" he offered.

A loud grunt left Yin's chest.  He took Rust's hand and launched himself up in a standing position.  "Guess not," he mumbled under his breath.

Smiling, Rust hugged his younger brother tightly.  "Welcome to Beacon!" 


	2. Escape

"No!  No no no!" Yin exploded.

Rust and Yin had just exited "Armor, Dresses, and Beyond", with Rust leading the way.  He held several shopping bags in his hands, with Yin's old outfit hanging out of it, and a few other sealed items at the bottom.

Sighing, Rust could only shake his head.  "Come on Yin, I know we live in Valera, but there is no way in hell that a military academy is going to let you fight with 4/5ths of your skin exposed.  That's just screaming "come get me grimm, rip me open and have lunch on me"!" he replied playfully, spinning around backwards to the shop door with a staggered grin.

Much to his reluctance, Yin had finally exited as well.  His skin tight leather pants and vest had been swapped out for a thick dust-reinforced brown leather jacket, and a yellow t-shirt underneath it with his semblance glyph sewn in black at the bottom.  A belt/skirt that matched the leather jacket was double-belted, with a small pouch attached to the side with dust bullets.  Dark brown combat boots and orange hunter socks were barely visible as his newly purchased Schnee-Jehneens stopped just above his ankle.

Yin was pouting profusely.  "I look like a cowboy reject straight out of one of those awful founders day re-enactments," he whined.  He continued to fiddle with two golden bracelets that now dangled from his wrists.  "And _why_ did you buy me this dust crap?  You know I hate using it," Yin spat in Rust's direction.

Turning back around, Rust led himself and Yin towards their final destination of the afternoon.  The dust shop, known as "From Dawn until Dust".

"Dust is the world's most powerful propellant and most favored form of combat energy.  I know you like fighting hand to hand without any weapons, but you at least need something to act as protection against the other students and our eventual enemies.  Fire, water, lighting, and just about every element you can imagine is now at your fingertips!  Just think about the possibilities!  Rock hands, pyro feet, a quick spell the speeds you up?  You're strong as you are right now, but once we get you equipped with some dust in those Glyph Bracers, you'll be a one-man wrecking crew!" Rust said, salivating as he discussed the tactical possibilities.

The younger brother was far from amused.  "Bro, you  _know_ I can handle myself with anyone.  I can even beat you if I'm on a good day!  I don't even use dust, so why should I have to start now?" he asked.

Rust and Yin turned the corner at the block, passing by a large crowd of people that were running away in the opposite direction.  Too absorbed in their discussion, they failed to notice the panicking citizens.

"Yeah, and if it were just people we were fighting, I wouldn't be worried, but you know that's not all that the Knights of Valera do.  We protect the citizens from international threats and guard the royal family, but the most vital mission is fighting the creatures of Grimm that live outside the kingdom walls," Rust explained seriously.

Yin rolled his eyes.  "Oh come on, how hard can they be?" he asked.  

Rust stopped walking in the middle of the busy street.  He spun around and met Yin's eyes.  "Bro, the creatures of Grimm are created by negative emotion.  Some of them are weak, such as ones born from petty jealousy or perhaps even a couple of bad thoughts.  Though imagine the ones born out of our collective worry over war, those created by the despair of our front line soldiers falling and dying in a foreign land?  Those kind of Grimm are strong, wise, and resourceful.  They grow in power, and can become a colossus of destruction that 30 knights couldn't handle with all of the advanced weaponry you could shake a stick at!" he shot back.  His menacing silver eyes were trembling.  "Don't be naive like I was before going to military school to practice for Beacon.  These things are not to be trifled with!  Learn to use dust, and you'll thank me some day.  Trust me, okay?" he said darkly.

Yawning, Yin rolled his eyes and moved past his older brother.  "Yeah, yeah, whatever.  Can we just finish shopping and go on?  I'd like to say goodbye to dad before we leave, and  _maybe_ go clubbing before I'm trapped in the academy from hell," he said, clearly annoyed.

As the two of them reached the shop they had been targeting, both stopped and gawked as several men and women were carting out heavy potato sacks.  All of them were dressed in dark black suit and skirts, with blood red ties and matching hats.

Rust and Yin both folded their arms, listening as the matching group were struggling to carry out their haul.

"Remind me again why Junior is making us help this woman?  The cops are going to be here any minute, and she refuses to let us leave without every _speck_ of dust.  Unreal, what could she possibly need with this much dust?  You could blow up an entire city with this amount!" one female goon asked.

Another one finally managed to throw the sack of dust over his shoulder, where a loud cracking sound echoed in the doorframe as he sighed in agony.  "Dunno, but she paid big time for us.  Be happy, we might actually get a salary this week!" a male responded.

Rust turned to Yin, sighing painfully.  "Let me guess.  Miss Junior's thugs you were whining about last night?" he asked.

Cracking his knuckles, Yin grinned.  "Oh yeah...  Time for some payback!" he exclaimed loudly.

The four or such thugs all jumped loudly in the air, revolved like a top, and pulled out large red axes and swords to Rust and Yin's neck.  

"Crap!  Are those Knights?" the woman asked, adjusting a pair of red glasses that masked her face.

Another one of the men in the back shook his head.  "Nah, they don't got the emblem!  We can fight 'em!" he said eagerly.

Yin and Rust exchanged a cocky glare.  

"Kay, so you handle these four and I'll clear out the shop.  I'd rather you not be involved inside any structure that has four walls.  Sound good?" Rust asked.

Yin nodded.  "Ohhhhh yeah, sounds good," he responded.

Rust blinked his eyes, and almost instantly, the glass pane window to the side was shattered, and a blur of red went inside as a mass of rose petals were littered behind.

"Get him!" the henchwoman shouted.

As the four goons advanced forward, Yin backflipped in the air.  While on the street post-landing, Yin smirked.  As the first henchman rose up his sword to attack, Yin side-kicked the man in the kidneys with enough force that threw him across the street and into a brick wall.  Yin followed up from the propulsion of his first kick and flew behind the second henchman.  Using his fist, Yin clocked this second target on the back of the head with as much force as he could muster, quickly disarming the man's red sword with his boots, skidding it across the street loudly.  

A flicker of flames were gathering on Yin's feet and fists.

"Use your semblance, don't let it fester and explode!" Rust yelled from inside the shop.  The sounds of bullets and sword crashes were echoing in the street, as was the screams and grunts of pain as the inside crew kept getting kicked out of the glass windows and onto the street like the trash they were.

Yin huffed.  "Bro, don't tell me how to fight!  I know what I'm doing!" he whined loudly, stomping his foot and leaving a small crater in the street.

While the younger brother was throwing a fit, the remaining few henchpeople had gathered behind him, swords raised and ready to take off a limb.

Clenching his fists together, Yin's eyes exploded in a bright red.  He turned around, stopping two of the blades with his hands, and the third with his forehead.  A small trickle of blood went down his face, right next to a snarky grin.  

"Boom baby!" he said loudly.

Yin's entire body glowed in a vivid orange, gathering into a mass around his chest.  

With a awful look of fear in their eyes, the goons tried to run away, leaving their weapons behind in the process.  

"Nuh-uh..." Yin said warmly, as the ball of energy moved from his chest and into his right fist.  Rearing his fist back, Yin punched in the direction of the running henchpeople.  The stored energy was released outward, as the orange light became surrounded in a dark black energy upon release, giving it an appearance of a cartoonish bomb.  

As the bomb of energy flew across the street, it struck the backside of of of the goons.  A bright explosion lit up the entire region upon detonation, leaving a mushroom cloud of dust shooting into the sky.  

Upon the smoke clearing, Junior's henchpeople were lying half-naked with most of their clothes burned away from the explosion.  They were all covered in a layer of soot and ash, coughing out clouds of black smoke.

 "Nice work!" Rust said.

Turning back to the shop, Yin watched as Rust threw out the last of the inside goons.  A pile of half-conscious men and women were groaning loudly in pain just outside the broken window.  Rust was hefting his 7 foot blade across his shoulder.  Black Rose, his weapon, had the blade of a greatsword, a hilt of a rapier, and handles as large as a flamberge.  Not to mention the sniper rifle built into the metal of the blade, and a retractable  aiming device.  It was a cluster of weird designs, but Rust was incredibly proud of his home-made weapon.

Yin joined his brother and they bumped fists in celebration.  

"Nicely done.  You didn't even demolish a candy store this time," Rust said with a colorful smile.

Rolling his eyes, Yin turned back to the bags of Dust that the burglars had been trying to scoop up.  "Guess we ought to call the cops and give them back this stuff?" he asked.

Before Rust had a chance to adequately respond, a hook whizzed by their heads, clamping onto the bag of dust and retracted it backwards into the sky.

Rust and Yin turned backwards, checking as the bag went into the well-manicured hands of a stunning woman.  

Standing somewhere between five and six feet in height, the woman was dressed in a fine white suit, and a very attractive feathered bowler.  A candy-orange hairstyle was hidden under the hat, with extended bangs that covered the left side of her face.  Her weapon, a cane from the days of vaudeville, had been the hook which stole away the dust bag.

"Thank you darlings, you did a nice job of cleaning up a loose end I don't have to pay now!  Not that I would have paid for those dopes after getting  beaten by a few kids, but...  Oh well!" she said, bowing towards them.

Rust's face glared angrily.  "Roma Torchwicke, I presume?  The petty thief?" he asked degradingly.

Roma blew a kiss in Rust's direction.  "Oh Red, don't be jealous!  Now, if you'll excuse me," she said quietly, dropping a grey crystal out of her jacket pocket and onto the ground below.

" _Back!"_ Rust said, standing in front of Yin and shielding the two of them with his weapon.  

Upon striking the ground, the grey crystal exploded loudly, leaving a wall of smoke that expanded over the entire city grounds.  

Yin and Rust coughed loudly.  Using his explosive semblance, Yin blew the smoke away with his own mild explosion.  

"Where'd she go?!" Yin shouted angrily.  

Scanning the region, the two brothers caught her trail quickly.  She was leaping between buildings, carrying the sack of dust as though it were weightless.

"We've got to go after her!" Yin shouted, running forward to the nearest building.  Kicking the ground, Yin made a mild explosion which propelled him up to the roof.   

"Wait a minute Yin!  I'll help you!" Rust exclaimed.  Using the gun-end of his blade, Rust shot up after Yin and followed him as the two chased after Roma.  A chase which ended as Roma stopped at the very edge of a large brick building.  She spun around and winked.

"Hey, sweeties...  I do appreciate all the attention  I'm getting, but I've  _really_ got to go now!  Let's play some other time, okay boys?" she said.  Stepping on the edge of the building, Roma saluted the two of them before falling off of the edge backwards.

" _Wait!"_ Rust said, dashing forward in an attempt to catch Roma.  

An ultimately futile effort, as the engines to a large black airship roared loudly.  Rising in the air, Roma was holding onto the handle of the open door, smirking.  "End of the line, sweeties," she shouted, throwing another large crystal their way.  It was bright red with flames dancing inside of the crystalline figure.

" _Rust, get back!"_ Yin screamed, immediately recognizing the crystal as an uncut burn crystal.  The same kind used in all of the Atalanta machina.  The explosion would destroy Rust.

" _Down!" a dark voice demanded._

Doing as he was told, Rust bent down just as the crystal neared his forehead.  

A metallic yardstick struck the crystal and threw it into the air.  It exploded above all of their heads, rocking the airship while simultaneously throwing Rust and Yin to the far end of the building's roof.

Roma's earlier bemused face turned angry as the smoke cleared.

Standing where Rust had just been was a towering male six feet in height, and in his middle thirties.  Short-cut blonde hair draped over the man's eyes, where dark green eyes shone behind a pair of starry glasses.  He wore a fine violet combat vest and black studded leather jeans.  A crest with a shield and two swords was emblazoned on his vest's shoulder.

Rust groaned as he tried to stand up.  "Pr..  Professor Glynn?" he stammered.

Sighing, Glynn shook his head.  "Stand back," he ordered.

Using his metallic ruler, Glynn focused a violet glow into his weapon, and shot a spark directly at the airship.  Before it could accurately make contact, however, a red spark of fire shot from the cockpit, negating the blast.  

A broad shouldered male with burning gold eyes was holding the cockpit's wheel in one hand, and aiming his spare hand out the window.  It was difficult to make out anything but a dark shadow.

Roma dropped herself inside the open airship door, pressing a button quickly to shut it.  

Glynn looked on in anger as the ship sailed off into the sky.  

"Dammit," Glynn mumbled quietly under his breath.  

Shaking off from the earlier explosion, Rust and Yin jogged over to his side.  

"Professor Glynn, thanks for-" Rust started to say happily, extending a hand, only to have it slapped with the tail end of Glynn's ruler.

Jumping back, Rust straightened up and stood at attention.

Glynn huffed, shaking his head and walking past the two boys, not making eye contact.  

"Let this evening be a lesson to the both of you.  Leave the hunting of criminals to the Knights.  Had I not been in the vicinity, both of you could have been killed.  Should I ever catch you doing such a dangerous thing at Beacon academy, the both of you will be expelled on the spot," he said bitterly.  Without so much as another word, Glynn jumped off the top of the building and into the streets below.    

Rust sighed, clearly disappointed, while Yin raised a middle finger in Glynn's general direction.


	3. Introductions

The airship to Beacon Military Academy wasn't a luxury liner, but was as close as one could get without being the Royal Family.  Rich red wood seats were lined with the finest of leather, and glasses of fizzy sodas were available for all of the new students at the many tables sitting atop a regal carpet.  

Sitting at the bar overlooking the view of the ocean below, both Rust and Yin were pouting profusely, while simultaneously guzzling down can after can of soda.  

Rust sighed, shaking his head.  "I can't believe I disappointed Professor Glynn.  That was my big chance to really show my stuff, but now?  Now...  Well, you know how first impressions are," he mumbled to his brother.  

Groaning, Yin face-planted into the bar side table.  "I can't believe I'm going all the way to Beacon.  I should be clubbin' with my friends and stopping crime from happening.  How on earth am I ever going to be sociable?!  It's not like there's going to be anyone interesting at Beacon!  They're probably all military brats with the personality of a block of wood!" he said sadly, sobbing playfully into the rich wood.

"Excuse me?" a tiny voice asked shyly.

Yin and Rust turned around.  Standing at a remarkable five feet in height, a well-dressed woman in white and gold trimmed armor covering a sleek black top, waved to the two men.  She had a tiny blue jean skirt that went just above her thighs, with the rest of her legs covered in black stockings.  A regal white cape with gold trim was flowing behind her, accentuating her golden blonde hair that was done up in red ribbons.  A large staff was strapped to her side, with a crescent moon design embedded at the top and poking into the pink lining of the woman's cape.

"I'm so sorry to intrude, but I was hoping the two of you could direct me to the bathroom?  I'm..  I'm not feeling well," she said, holding her stomach tightly.  "I..  I'm Jean, by the way...  Je...  Just Jean, actually," she said, covering her mouth as a loud rumble in her stomach was churning.

Yin pointed in the direction south of their bar.  "That way, just next to the TV," he instructed.

Jean nodded and sprinted away painfully as she pushed past everyone in her path.

Rust smiled.  "She was cute," he noted to his brother.

Shrugging off his brother's taste in the sexes, Yin went back to his soda, popping the top loudly.  Though as he looked up, a lanky male was sitting on top of his table within an inch of his nose.

"Uh...  Hi?" Yin offered, taking in the sight before him.  He was a good height, probably just shy of six feet.  He was all legs with a tiny torso attached to the top.  Vivid pink pants were stuffed inside of long white boots that suppressed two colossal feet.  In an effort to support a non-existent rear-end was a set of neon pink suspenders that covered over a white tank top and solid black vest.  He had candy-corn orange hair, and a dazzling white smile.  

"HIYA!" the stranger exclaimed, grabbing Yin's shoulders and shaking them harshly.  "Aren't you excited?!  We're almost to Beacon!   _Almost!  To!  Beacon!  Could you just plotz?!"_ he said in a sing-song tune, leaping off the table and doing a handstand as he landed.  

Pushing away the soda, Yin shook his head.  "I think..  I think I've had too much," he mumbled.

" _Norman, enough!"_ a harsh woman proclaimed.

Yin turned to the side where the voice had originated from.  Clopping towards them in black flats was a woman just a few feet shorter than this "Norman".  An emerald green dress draped to the floor, with kimono-like sleeves that drug behind her.  Pink blossoms were scattered about the dress, all hand-sewn and glimmering with what Yin assumed was dust.  The woman's hair was put up in a bun, with a bright gold hairclip holding it in place.  She had remarkable pink eyes that absolutely glowed with light.  Between her eyes and a set of gold earrings, merely looking at her was like being lost in a trance.

"Jade!  I'm just celebrating that we're almost to Beacon!   _Isn't it exciting?!"_ Norman exploded. _  
_

Smiling ever so slightly, Jade chuckled.  "It is.  But let's put that excitement to good use.  How about we go check out the rest of the competition?  After all, we need to be prepared for any kind of teammate." she asked.

Norman backflipped towards Jade, and dashed off to the other many students, looking at them awkwardly and invading their personal space.

Yin blinked a few times and shook off his confusion.  

"Out of curiosity..  How harsh is the Knight's Exam?  Because I'm thinking I may be way overqualified given the other options," Yin asked, glaring at Norman who was still dashing around like a baby bunny, checking everyone out.

Rust gave up staring in the direction that Jane had gone, and turned back to his brother.  "Oh, it's nothing we should be worried about.  It's a single-match style duel.  Basically each Knight candidate is paired up with another Knight candidate, and will fight a mechanical soldier.  They're judged on their level of combat skill and will either be given a pass or fail based on several criteria, which includes teamwork.  After all, Knight Apprentices are put into teams of four while they're at Beacon to act as supports, and in a squad of eight to go on missions.  If they can't work with others nicely, then there's no point in them even unpacking at Beacon," he explained, spinning around and facing the outside lobby with Yin.

"Teamwork, huh?  Neat, just what I'm best at," Yin said quietly, as his face fell downward.

Rust patted Yin on the back.  "Relax bro, you're going to be fine.  I know you're a little shit who likes to do his own thing, but just work with your partner as best you can manage for the time being.  Who knows, maybe we'll end up on the same team?" he said optimistically.

Rolling his eyes, Yin just sighed.  "Knowing my luck, I'll end up with some-" he began to explain, interrupted as the many television screens in the lobby switched to a black screen.

All of the students silenced themselves, watching as Professor Glynn appeared on screen.  Rust groaned loudly at seeing his face again.  Yin side-hugged his grieving brother and assured him that everything would be okay.

"Good afternoon Knight Applicants, and welcome to Beacon.  Your airship will land in the next five minutes, where you will be dropped off at Beacon Academy Airdocks.  Upon landing, we ask that you all gather in the auditorium by 1 PM.  During your spare time before our commencement ceremony, introduce yourself to your fellow students and get to know each other.  Should you pass your entrance examination, you'll be working together as a class for the next four years.  That is all," Glynn explained.  He faded away from the TV as it returned to the World Gladiator Finals that was on all of the screens.

Norman landed on Yin's shoulders, hugging the lad's shoulders tightly.   _"We're almost there!"_ he screamed giddily.

 _"Norman!"_ Jade yelled loudly.

All of which was drowned out by the sound of Jean vomiting into a potted plant.

 

+

 

Upon landing, Rust and Yin marveled at the world before them as they exited the airship and onto the wooden docks that were built right next to a stunning waterfall.  

Tall towers of grey and ebony rose to the heavens, accentuated by bright green grass and scarlet red trees in full bloom.  The sounds of muffled combat training could be heard in the distance, while explosions and metal clashing attempted to drown them out.

Groups of eight seemed to be passing by the freshman students, all walking in a single line to their destination, one of the many docked airships that surrounded the academy.

Several full fledged Knights were on the grounds, watching the fresh meat and gawking at their weaponry.

Yin was more impressed by the fighter planes that kept flying overhead, not to mention the many combat airships filled with teams of Knights flying off to battle. 

Whistling loudly, Yin made binoculars out of his hands and followed the planes as they blasted off.

"Well, definitely has the whole "military" vibe.  A lot cooler than I thought it would be," Yin offered.  As he turned to hear his brother's response, there was only empty space.  

 _"Is that a fire sword?!  Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!"_ Rust screeched in the far distance.  He was likely a mile or more away.  

Groaning, Yin's head fell.  "Well, there goes Rust...  There's no getting him back now that he's on full weapon-hunter mode," he mumbled angrily.  Walking with his head down, he barely saw where he was going.  "What am I even doing?  Why'd I have to demolish that stupid club?  Then I wouldn't be here, wouldn't have to dress like a nerd, and might actually have a life!  Everything's over," he mumbled.

"Sir?" a regal male voice asked.

"Over..  It's all over!" Yin exclaimed to himself.

"Sir?!  Sir, please stop!" the same voice asked.

"How could this get any worse?!" Yin screamed.

A loud ripping noise came over Yin's body as he stepped through a large canvas.  His body was now stuck in the middle of a large framed painting of a regal red forest, with about ten or more other first-years staring at him in abject horror.  

"Oi," the male voice said quietly.

Turning to his immediate right, a male around the same size and height as his brother was covering his eyes at the sight.  He wore a thick white fur coat with golden epaulettes on his shoulders.  A white pair of pants matched his coat and neatly-kept hair flawlessly, while a bright red t-shirt acted as a stark contrast to the rest of the ensemble.  

The ten or so onlookers vacated immediately, dashing away as though they were running from an atomic bomb of unparalleled strength.  

Yin stepped out of the painting, and rubbed the back of his head nervously.  "I uh...  Oh...  Did I uh...  I totally stepped through your painting, didn't I?" he asked quietly.

The white haired man nodded.  "Yes...  This was my finest work of art.  Over 100 hours of painstaking sketches, 50 hours of lining, and countless work on my flawless brushstrokes.  The auctioneer valued this work at 250,000 lien.  And...  You just stepped through and ruined it.  My most brilliant work, tarnished by an oaf," he whispered calmly.  

All color vacated Yin's face.

"Tw...  Tw...  Two hundred fifty  _thousand_ lien!?  That's..  That's more than my dad makes in a year, and he's a Royal Guard!" he shouted.

The stranger uncovered his face, revealing ocean-blue eyes.  "This was a Wyn Schnee  _original._ I was going to donate this to Headmaster Glynn as a congratulatory present for his promotion, and you've ruined it!" he screeched.

"Schnee?" Yin asked.  His face went even paler.  The man before him was the esteemed artist extraordinaire, Wyn Schnee, heir to the Schnee Dust Company.  They were the richest family in all of Remnant, and the most powerful.  Each and every member of the Schnee Family was known as a top notch Knight, some even becoming Imperial Knights that directly guarded the Royal Family.

Wyn threw the framed painting to the ground and began poking Yin in the chest.  "I expect  _full_ payment for this work.  Accident or no, you are responsible for this tragedy against the arts!  Or should I call my Father and have him deal with you?!" he yelled angrily.

As his heart raced at a million miles a minute, Yin backed away slowly as Wyn kept poking him further and further away.

"I...  I...  I'm sorry!  I just...  I don't...  I..." Yin said, holding his hands up defensively.  

A chocolate-brown set of fingers captured Wyn's hand as he attempted to poke at Yin again.  A brown arm also wrapped around Yin's neck, as a warm breath of air hit his face, bringing back some of the color.

"Now now...  Such a pretty face like this shouldn't be worried about something as trivial as a Schnee painting.  Relax my little golden boy, and let me handle this," a warm voice replied.

Yin watched as a man about a foot taller than himself stood between himself and Wyn.  He was dressed sharply, in a stunning white collared shirt and well-tailored black vest. A black tie with red claw marks patterned around the edges waved in the air.  He had a tight-fitting pair of leather white pants, and an odd black ribbon that was loosely hanging off his wide hips.  His black hair, long and straightened by heat, stuck out of a military-style beret.

A smirk covered Wyn's face.  "Ah.  So there is a class of people foolish enough to insult the Schnee family.  How sad, I owe my younger sister 100 lien," he said, folding his arms angrily.  

The new stranger smirked, bowing towards Wyn.  "Braith.  Braith Belladonna.  Forgive me if I don't bend down and kiss your overpriced boots, but I'd rather not be friends with a Schnee.  After all, isn't your family currently under investigation for that faunus city being razed to the ground?  How sad that there is a class of people who'd be so openly cruel," he said, with a snide darkness to his words.

Wyn's eyes narrowed.  "I dare you to say that again, you pathetic piece of-"

The rich brat's face was silenced as a wad of lien was shoved in his face from Braith's hand.  It was more money than Yin had ever seen in his life.  

"This should cover golden boy's little mistake.  I'd hate to see such a beautiful face saddened over a  _Schnee_ piece of garbage," Braith said, turning to Yin and winking at him.  

Yin blushed momentarily, shaking off Braith's advance and stepping backwards.  "I..  I said I was sorry!  What more do you want?" he asked.

Wyn snatched away Braith's cash and momentarily counted it.  Seemingly satisfied, he huffed and stuck the wad of cash into his fur coat's front pocket.  "Very well.  I shall leave the "golden boy" untouched.  Just be sure to never get in my way again, or it will be the last thing you ever do!" he spat out angrily.  He spun around and walked off in a huff, walking with a determined and formal stride.

"My, my...  Such a crass bunch," Braith said warmly.

Turning around, Braith winked again at Yin.  "I really must be going.  Excuse me golden boy, but I hope to see you again soon!" he said, dashing off in the opposite direction that Wyn had.  

Blinking to himself, Yin could only shake his head.  "What on earth have I gotten myself into?" he asked himself, falling backwards onto the concrete path and groaning loudly.


	4. Partnered

Having taken his sweet time in walking the long route to the Beacon Auditorium, Yin was the very last student to reach the open arches that led inward.  

Inside, he could already hear some sort of opening commencement taking place, and could just barely make out the coliseum-like seating and arena waiting just within alongside the clashing of blades.  

Standing at a table right next to an entrance, a tall rabbit fanus was absentmindedly checking his pocket watch.  He was not tall, yet would be far from called short.  A bright orange jumpsuit with gold trim was his clothing of choice, with large leg bracers attached to his feet.  

Upon hearing Yin's footsteps, the fanus' ear spasmed.  

"There you are!  Yin Xiao Long, correct?  You're late!" the warm male voice said strictly.  

Nodding, Yin could only rub the back of his neck nervously.  "Sorry, I uh...  Got sidetracked," he mumbled.

"Well, what's done is done.  Get over here and hurry, we don't have much time left to register you.  My name is Ven, by the way.  I'm a third year here at Beacon and will be the school prefect that will work with your group of freshman that makes it through," he explained, ruffling through the paperwork that was neatly organized at his station.

Yin walked over to the registration table, watching as Ven checked off several lists and eventually picked up a laminated ticket.  "Your registration and seat number is 353.  Assigned partner is Mr. Phoenix Nikos of Mistrael.  Please hurry inside, the opening ceremony is already underway!" he said worriedly. 

"Thanks," Yin said, taking the ticket and walking into the large colosseum.  Ven was close behind, pushing Yin's slow butt to get him in all the quicker.

As he walked up three flights of stadium stairs, Yin could hear the clashes of metal striking metal.  Jade, from the airship, was attacking a mechanical spider-tank with two long emerald katanas in each hand.  Behind her was Jane, standing from a safe distance.  Her staff was brandished, and each strike that the spider attempted to hit Jade with was blocked by spheres of light.  The few times that the defensive spheres broke, Jane was on top of things, using a quickening dust on Jade to allow her to dodge quickly with a clock-like glyph.  Jade's katanas continued to slice through the metal limbs, amputating and making the expensive piece of equipment as useful as a sponge.

Plopping down in the third row of seats after Ven threw him into the seat, Yin was placed next to a muscular male probably a few years older than himself.  He was towering, and had a flowing red ponytail that landed on his hard leather tunic.  In his right hand was a gold and red colored spear.  His legs were crossed to hinder the view of the inside of a tan leather combat skirt and heeled boots that matched.

"Have I missed much?" Yin asked, leaning over in Phoenix's general area.

Phoenix turned to met Yin's face and smiled pleasantly.  "Jade Ren, the queen of Haeven's monastery monk-Knights is kicking some serious rear-end.  Then there's this mage-Knight who makes one heck of a support unit.  Excellent magic skills that no ordinary pre-Knight should be capable of doing.  We're just on the first match though, so that's it,"  he said, extended his hand to Yin.  "Phoenix Nikos, nice to meet you," he said, with a thick accent.

Yin shook the man's hand.  "Yin Xiao Long.  Thanks, I got lost on the way here," he replied.

"Hope we work well together!  I'm a lance user, so I'm keen on combat space.  Oh, and I've got a bulky shield, so I make an excellent defender," Phoenix said, turning back to the scene as the Mech-Spider collapsed.  

Jade and Jane hugged each other tightly at the end of the battle, bowing to the applauding audience.

"So..  This Jade woman is strong?" Yin asked.

Phoenix nodded.  "Yeah.  She's Haeven's representative they've sent to Beacon alongside some Norman fellow.  Jade is a swordmaster that studied under the Haeven Royal Council, and Norman is a Valkryie Knight that studied with the Order of Thor.  Together, they make a near unstoppable force," he explained.

While Yin took in the information, he watched as his brother entered the arena with Wyn.

"Oh God...  Not him!  Poor Rust," Yin said, holding his face in horror.  

Phoenix turned to Yin.  "Oh?  You know Rust Rose and Wyn Schnee?" he asked.

"Yeah, Rust is my older brother.  Don't know much about Wyn, to be honest," Yin replied.  "Do you know Rust?" he asked.

Phoenix and Yin watched as a mech-soldier appeared onto the arena.  It was the size of a large tank, and looked like a bear.  Rust brandished his Black Rose, while Wyn retrieved a fencing saber from his waist.  Uncut dust diamonds were embedded in the hilt of the blade, glowing vividly.  

"I've never met Rust personally, but he's big in the Knight community.  He's always posting combat strategies online and helping out people with sword stances.  I've talked to him on a few occasions through private messaging, he seems like a nice guy.  Wyn, on the other hand, is the heir to the Schnee Dust Company and one of the best fencers in Valera AND Atalanta.  He's a fantastic artist and a dust diamond aficionado who creates his own hand-crafted diamonds for his weapon.  Just look at how powerful they are," Phoenix said, pointing down at the combat arena.

Rust was using his semblance, a temporal divide that stopped time, in order to pin down the mech's arms and legs.  Black Rose was capable of disconnecting its sum parts into smaller swords.  A fleuret was piercing the right leg, while a greatsword was pinning the left.  Rust himself, with a scimitar, was holding back the robot's neck.

At a distant, Wyn was concentrating with his blade's edge pressed against his forehead.  A magical seal, in the shape of a blue snowflake was floating around his waist.  The hilt's blue, white and violet dust diamonds were emanating colorful flames.  Then, in an instant, the flames evaporated and the blade shimmered in all white.  Wyn went into a trusting position and dashed forward.  The blade went straight into the mech's robot head.  

The mech went still, and Wyn stayed attached to the robot.

Yin smirked.  "Oh yeah,  _how_ powerful.  What a-"

From the inside of the robot, entire glaciers ripped open and dismantled the robot by exploding from the inside out.  Nothing was left of the million-lien mechanical brilliance was left as a ripped pile of nothing.

The arena erupted in applause, as Yin's face went into a pale white.

Rust and Wyn bowed to the audience, holding hands in the process.  Wyn had a million-dollar smile, and a complete change of persona than when Yin had met him earlier in the day. 

"Powerful indeed," Phoenix remarked playfully.  He patted Yin on the hand, in an attempt to comfort his shocked partner.  "Now, not to interrupt your staring, but we should really discuss our combat strategy for our match.  Achillies, my lance, doubles as a rifle, but also can come apart and be use liked a really long whip.  I-" he started to explain, silenced as the next two partners came onto the stage.  

Yin watched Phoenix's face go dark.

"What's up?" Yin asked.

Phoenix folded his arms.  "Look down there.  The woman in black," he said, pointing in the arena's direction.

Yin glanced down, and saw Braith entering the arena.  He held his hands in his pocket, and was  _strutting_ to the starting point.  His partner was a woman in a long black trenchcoat, covered with a Grimm mask on her face.  The Blood Beast emblem was embellished on her back, covered in a rose design.  Crimson red hair was intricately braided and went down her chest.  A massive blade was in her hand, that appeared to double as a shotgun.

"She looks tough," Yin remarked.  

Silent as a mouse, Phoenix didn't say a word.  He only watched the arena as though it were a matter of life and death.  

From the opposite side of the arena, another robotic spider tank appeared from inside the other lobby.  

Once the buzzer rang, the battle began.  The tank-spider stomped forward, only to trip itself within seconds.  All eight legs moved to the middle, and it fell over to the side helplessly.

"Huh?" Yin asked, unsure of what happened.

"The man.  He must be using a semblance.  Look at his shadow," Pheonix said quietly.

Adjusting his view, Yin looked at Braith's shadow.  Or rather, a lack of one.  Instead, it was wrapped around the robot's legs, with a snickering outline of a face and grin of solid white.

"Whoa.  That's pretty cool!" Yin offered, smiling at Braith's cocky smile.  There was something about that man's face that could melt the polar ice caps.

"He's not the one I'm worried about," Phoenix said sadly.  

Yin took his attention towards Braith's partner.  The trenchcoated woman walked slowly towards the incapacitated robot.  In a flash of red, Braith's partner unschethed and re-schethed her blade.  It was almost invisible to the eye, and she turned around to walk back to the holding station as though it weren't even an important event.  Braith did the same, skipping after his partner.

"Damn," Phoenix mumbled under his breath in disdain.

Before Yin had a chance to ask what was wrong, he saw it.  Right where the strange woman had stood, the mech spider was cleaved, falling into two cross-diagonal pieces.  

"The competition here is stronger than I thought.  If we want a chance to get picked, we've got to really work hard," Phoenix said.

"Picked?" Yin asked nervously.

“Didn't you know?” Phoenix asked, turning to Yin with a piqued glance. “Of the 100 plus Knight Applicants, only 16 or so will be picked to enter Beacon. Each year, Beacon creates as new “platoon” for their military forces. A platoon is made up of 16 units. Of those 16, there are squads of 8, or two teams of four. Of those 8, there are two four person teams that are composed of 2 partners. Basically, they make enough forces that can be sent on missions in a divisible manner that reflects the power required,” he said.

“ _Sixteen?! Just sixteen?!”_ Yin exclaimed loudly.

Phoenix nodded. “About sixteen, that's correct. Beacon's philosophy is quality over quantity. After all, a Knight of Valera is supposed to have the strength of 10, and an Imperial Knight is said to have the strength of 100 men. In order to make that goal, Beacon has to invest only in the best. Sad, but true,” he said.

While Yin's face panicked, and visions of him in a monastery waved through his head, he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulders.

“Yin Xiao Long? Phoenix Nikos? You two are up soon, we ask that you come to the waiting room,” Ven said, standing over them.

+

Yin was fidgeting with his dust bracelets.  He'd gotten some practice in on the airship as Rust showed him a few tricks.  He could make his fists stone, and could turn them into solid ice.  Unfortunately, anything "fancy" like what Wyn had done in his battle was out of his knowledge.

Turning to his temporary partner, Yin was impressed.  Phoenix didn't add much to his leather ensemble, except for a full body shield that he referred to as a clipeus.  As he'd said earlier, he did indeed use a large lance.  Achilles was impressive, a good three feet taller than the man himself.  

"Yin?" Phoenix asked, patting his partner on the shoulder.

"Yeah?!" Yin replied, shaking jitterly.  

Phoenix smiled.  "Relax!  We'll be fine.  I'll take the brunt of the force with my shield Pyro, and push him back with Achilles.  If you can do the majority of the damage with your fists and semblance, we'll be okay.  Just punch him as hard as you can!" he said optimistically.

Nodding, Yin took a deep breath.  "Got it.  Thanks," he replied.

"Phoenix, Yin, you're up!" Ven exclaimed.  The faunus was holding a clipboard and pointing to the arena.

"We're up!" Phoenix said, patting Yin on the shoulder and pushing him forward.  

Yin jogged forward, and the two entered the arena at about the same time.

A loud applause erupted, and Yin tried not to think about the huge number of people that were looking at him.  

Phoenix, on the other hand, was completely different.  He was waving and smiling as though he were an actor.  

"Take your positions," Glynn said.

Yin jumped, watching as Glynn was sitting in a seat with crossed legs right next to their lobby area.  

Moving forward, Phoenix and Yin stood on their spaces.  The opposing lobby rose its metal door up, and a soft engine running echoed before them.

With a painful gulp, Yin rose up his bare fists.  

Phoenix spun his spear in his free hand, and bulked up behind his shield.  His eyes went from a dull red and changed into a metallic silver.

Loud footsteps echoed, and half a dozen robotic soldiers came out of the opposite lobby.  They were Atalanta Mech Corps, the personal guards of the Schnee family and the most advanced non-human combat units in the world.

Professor Glynn smirked to the side.

"Crap...  Crap crap crap," Yin said, taking a step backwards.  

Phoenix moved forward with a crooked smile.  "Ready Yin?" he asked.

Nodding hesitantly, Yin smashed his fists together, and the dust within the bracelets reacted in a flash of white.  Both of his fists were covered in a clear-diamond ice.   

"I guess.  I mean, if I can handle inexperienced henches with no combat training, surely I can take on the best fighting force that Atalanta can pick up!" he said sarcastically.

The six soldiers all took aim with their top of the line helmet scanners, and laser guiding system activated from their rifles.  All of the were pointed at Yin's body.

"Fire.  Fire.  Fire.  Hostile detected," the lead robo-soldier said.

All six dust rifles fired in unison.  Bullets of fire, ice, lightning, earth and compressed air ran violently towards Yin.

Dashing in front of Yin, Phoenix hid behind his full-body shield.  Pyro glowed momentarily and deflected each and every blast from the high-powered rifles.

" _Go!"_ Phoenix ordered.

Yin turned to his partner with a panicked expression.  "What?!  Are you insane?  Their bullets will rip me to shreds!" he yelled.

"No they won't.  Trust me and go!  Make contact and take out the middle three!" Phoenix said with a comforting grin.

Groaning momentarily, he could hear his father's voice yelling in his face.  He could even see his mother's glare of shame if she'd be watching.

"Fine!" Yin groaned.  Leaping over Pyro, Yin began dashing towards the mechanized forces.  He saw the bullets come towards him, and  _curve_ when they got anywhere near him.  Sounds of metal crying could be heard around himself, and the air felt heavier.  Still, no matter how hard the soldiers tried to re-target Yin, they couldn't focus on his body, and the rapid firing was just a waste of bullets.  

 _"What's going on?"_ Yin thought to himself.

He chose to ignore the annoying sounds in the back of his head, and instead focused his frozen fists at the rapidly approaching enemies.  Rearing his fists back, Yin yelled loudly as he reached the middle three enemies.  He struck the middle most of the trio, letting the ice fists come in contact with the equally cold steel.  

The mech-soldier in the middle crumbled into nothing, and exploded wildly, shooting ice missiles at the two soldiers next to him.  A technique that Rust had told Yin about, but one he certainly wasn't trained well enough to do.  He hadn't even discharged the ice, another force seemed to do that.  

As he flew through the middle, the remaining three soldiers on the outside soon found the tail-end of Achilles pierce their metallic skulls in a swiping motion.  The whip-lance sliced through them easily, causing them to fall to the ground, completely faulty without their CPU.

Phoenix retracted his lance to its usual size and plastered on that winning smile.  "Well done!  We did it!" he said, jogging over to Yin and shaking his cold hand tightly.

The world around them applauded loudly as Phoenix raised both his and Yin's hand up in victory.  Seemingly ever spectator at the event was impressed.

Except for a particularly pouty Professor GLynn, who clenched his fist in anger.

 


	5. Teams

After each Knight-Applicant had completed their battles, they were taken to a holding area until their scoring had been completed.  

Ten minutes passed before Phoenix and Yin were allowed to change rooms.  The two of them were pushed inside Room 9, and were immediately greeted with several familiar stares.

Jade and Jean were sitting at a bar table, speaking in hushed tones about their opposite battle styles and how they might be able to coordinate their efforts if they made it on the same team.  

In the back corner, both Braith and his silent partner were watching the local news on a portable television tablet, and glaring angrily at whatever report was being read.

Norman, the over-excited representative from Haeven, was at the buffet table, stuffing as much free fruit and cheese as he could into his mouth.  There were no manners in the man, and crumbs were falling everywhere.

Wyn was sipping a fine wine, chuckling warmly at whatever conversation he was having with Rust.  

All eyes in the room turned to them as they entered the door.

Rust's face lit up like fireworks.  "Bro, you were fantastic!  Amazing!  I'm so proud of you!" he exclaimed, leaping up and hugging Yin around the neck.

Phoenix smiled warmly and moved passed the scene of affection, joining Wyn's side and pouring himself a bottle of wine that Wyn had selected.

"Ah, Mr. Nikos, it's a pleasure.  I'm Wyn Schnee.  Your combat was magnificent," he said, offering his hand to the man.  Phoenix took it, and the two were soon caught up in rapid conversation regarding the Mistrael "Games".

Pushing off his brother, Yin huffed and brushed himself off.  "Meanwhile, why didn't you tell me that there was only going to be-"

His sentence was cut off by the sound of a wooden door opening.  The room went silent immediately.

Yin caught the glance of an older woman, sporting a pair of thin spectacles.

"So very nice to make all of your acquaintances.  I am Headmistress Ozlyn, former Imperial Knight, a Beacon Graduate, and one of your many instructors for the next four years.  For all intents and purposes, I own Beacon Academy since its passing into my hands about 20 years ago," she said, introducing herself to the group.

Ozlyn was a strong height, and had the body tone of Phoenix Nikos.  Her soft grey hair cascaded down to her sharp green and gray suit.  Though her powerful aura was betrayed somewhat, as she walked with a limp, utilizing a hard silver cane to walk around with.

"Headmaster Ozlyn!  It's an honor!" Rust said, blinking over towards her and shaking her hand eagerly.  

A warm smile glowed on her face.  She politely brushed past Rust after firmly shaking his hand, and moved to the middle of the room.

"As I'm sure you're all aware of by this point, the nine of you here and a group of seven others down the hall have been selected to attend Beacon Military Academy.  Your superior teamwork, combat tactics, and natural ability was the deciding factor.  Congratulations," Ozlyn said.

The room was alive with happy banter, gleaming smiles, and one particularly gleeful looking Jane who had tears forming in her eyes.

As the noise level quieted down, Ozlyn hobbled forward.  "Now, I'll be assigning the nine of you to your respective partners and teams.  We will start with the odd one out, if you don't mind?  Miss Adele Fenrir?" she asked, turning to the woman in the black trenchcoat.  

She nodded in Ozlyn's general direction.

"Miss Adele, you are assigned to team NAPS, led by Miss Nerid Vasilias.  Your team members are Pen Ironwood and Sun Wukong.  Your partner is Mr. Pen Ironwood.  They can be found in Dormitory 5, room 513.  You have been assigned to Squad 10," Ozlyn explained.  Reaching into her pocket, Ozlyn retrieved a black key-card.  "This will allow you into your room," she said.

Wordlessly, Adele moved forward, retrieved her card, and left.  

At the far back, Braith smiled to himself.  He kicked off the wall he'd been leaning against and slowly made his way to the middle of the room with the rest of the remaining students.

Ozlyn turned to Rust.  "Rust Rose, you will be partnered with Braith Belladonna.  Mr. Braith?" she asked.

Moving forward, Braith nodded in Rust's general direction.  

"Well, well... I get to work with Mr. Studly Swordmaster, nice!" Braith said, holding his hand out playfully.

"Nice to meet you!  I loved your Shadow Semblance, it was great!  I'm already thinking of combat strategies we can use with it!" Rust said, completely missing Braith's sexual undertones, and becoming excited over the "wrong" thing.

While Braith sighed painfully at his oblivious partner, Ozlyn turned to Wyn.  "Mr. Wyn Schnee?  Your partner is Mr. Norman Valkyrie," she said with a happy grin.

Wyn's face fell by a mile, and he dropped his glass of wine.  While it shattered to the floor, Wyn's torso was soon being hugged tightly by Norman's forceful hands. 

"Partner!  Oh wow, we are going to have  _so_ much fun together!  Just think about it!  You and that pretty ice stuff, and well...   _Me!"_  Norman said, in an explosion of verbal diarrhea.

"Can I get a re-count?" Wyn asked, holding his hand up politely.

Ozlyn ignored Wyn's request and turned to the four students.  "The four of you will become Team Ribbon, or RWBN, for short.  Team leader has been assigned to Rust Rose.  You are all assigned to squad 9.  Your team will be in Dorm 6, Room 601.  The four of you can get to know each other more closely there.  Here is your key," she said, handing a pearl white key card.

"Thanks!" Rust answered happily.  He skipped out of the room eagerly, and a giddy squeal erupted in the hall.  Braith wasn't far behind, with a cocky grin, while Norman carried a sully Wyn out of the room.  Wyn's hands tried to hold onto the doorframe as he exited, but Norman's strength prevailed, ripping part of the frame off entirely.  

The remaining four students circled around Ozlyn.  

"Now...  I suppose that just leaves the four of you," she said, staring at each of their faces carefully.  "Miss Jade Ren?  Your partner will be Mr. Phoenix Nikos," she said.

Jade and Phoenix turned to each other, sharing a mutual handshake of respect.

Yin and Jane turned to each other.

"Naturally, that leaves Yin Xiao Long and Jane Fallabor.  The two of you are now partners.  The four of you will make up Team Purge, or PYRJ for short.  You will be led by Mr. Phoenix Nikos," Ozlyn finished.

Jane smiled and bowed in Yin's direction.  "It's nice to meet you, Yin.  I hope we can work well together," she said with the manners of a saint.

Far more barbarically, Yin grabbed her hand and shook it wildly.  "Same here!" he exclaimed.

Ozlyn's smile curved ever so slightly into a motherly look of affection.

 

+

 

After the losing Knight Applicants had been escorted out of Beacon, Team PYRJ walked quietly to their room, making small talk along the way.  

Jade and Jane were already fast friends, discussing cross-training sessions and how they could each help the other in bettering themselves.

Phoenix and Yin made various small talk, one of which regarded a 7 AM training session that Phoenix had proposed in order to get their team to coordinate their abilities together.  Yin had immediately nixed that idea, begging Phoenix ceaselessly in a way that drew unwanted attention from the Senior Knights.

Eventually, however, the four of them found themselves in Dorm 602.  They'd been assigned to Squad 9, which would pair them with Team RWBN.  Their mentor was Ven of Team CFVY, who they would report to for all missions.

Dorm 602 was a four-person suite, with four separate beds, desks and personal storage chest.  Each students' belongings had already been put up in their respective areas, and folding cards designated each student's area.   

After changing into more comfortable sleeping attire, the four gathered around on their beds.  

Jade was in a silken kimono, sitting cross-legged on the bed and sipping a boiling cup of coffee.  A furry pet, Mr. Kibbles, was snoozing on her lap.  He was a ball of fur with tiny bat ears, a long pink tail, and poisonous fangs that could kill anyone within ten seconds of contact.  Yin had forced Jane to trade places with him after learning that little bit of information.

In just his boxer shorts, Yin was halfway asleep, spread out eagle-styled on his comfortable bed.  Half a dozen cuts and scars could be found on his back and stomach.  Hair curlers were in his hair, with an exfoliating cream on his face.

Phoenix had opted for a more traditional set of pajamas, with the buttons undone to reveal a muscular set of abs.  A sword in black ink had been tattooed on his right chest, and a shield tattooed on the left.  Contacts had been taken out after showering, and the Mistrael birthmark of an upside down star could be found in his irises.

Jane was in a silken dress, and was hugging a stuffed bear tightly as she sat upside-down on her area.

"So...  I guess we should really get to know each other.  You know, where we're from, who we are, that kind of stuff.  We've got to work together for the next four years, so that's an important step to take.  Who'd like to go first?" he asked.

Jade rose her hand, and Phoenix nodded in acknowledgement.

"My name is Jade Ren.  The proper way to address me would be Swordmaster Priestess Jade Li Ren, but I'd prefer just Jade to be honest.  I'm from Haeven, and was part of the order of warrior-monks that specialized in sword techniques.  As part of our training, each monk is required to undergo training in a foreign nation at adulthood if they wish to move on to a greater standing.  My homeland believes that only by increasing our understanding of other worlds can we ever hope to achieve the highest level of peace across the world.  With that in mind, my goal here in Valera is to become a well respected knight and develop my craft in order to be ordained a Maester of Haeven," she explained.  

"Maester?  What's a Maester?" Yin asked immediately.  He adjusted his personal space rudely with a spare hand as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Jade chuckled.  "A Maester is the highest order of warrior-monks in Haeven.  To become a Maester is to become a beacon of hope for your country.  Maesters often are regarded as the leaders of Haeven, and lead the warrior-monk in battle.  They are the strongest, wisest, and most powerful force in my homeland.  To be a Maester is an honor, a privilege, and a dream for many of my people," she explained.

Yin nodded his head.  "Cool, I get it.  They're like super-warriors, right?" he responded.  

The room groaned at his simplified explanation.

"In a way, yes?" Jade responded, chuckling nervously.

Politely, Phoenix raised his hand.  "I'm Phoenix Nikos, and I'm from Mistrael.  I was the victor of The Games in my age range, so I was given my freedom at 13.  I stayed in Mistreal to become a mentor and tutor for my class, but decided against staying when I turned 19.  After all, I either had to leave Mistreal, or I'd end up being a General!  Can you imagine?  Me?  A general?  Ha!" he said, chuckling quietly to himself.

"Freedom?" Yin asked.

Jade looked away.  "No offense Yin, but...  Have you studied anything about other cultures?" she asked.

Laughing quietly, Phoenix shook his head.  "It's quite all right," he replied.  Turning to Yin, he took a deep breath.  "In Mistrael, we don't have a volunteer army like Valera or Atalanta.  Instead, all children are conscripted at the age of seven to receive military training.  When they turn 12, they are put into an arena and told to fight without ceasing.  Those that surrender, give up, or pass out during the battle are put into the armed forces for the rest of their life as punishment for their lack of training.  The "winners", or those warriors still standing after 24 hours of constant fighting, are given their freedom to choose their life.  It is our privileged for utilizing our time wisely, and for bringing honor to our home. They are free to chose their way of living, and can even travel out of the kingdom if they so please.  I chose to travel to Valera and attend Beacon Military Academy, so that I could live my life in peace, but still bring honor to my home in a way that could serve as inspiration to my people, and the children who will soon go through The Games themselves," he answered.

Jade was stoic.

Jane was covering her mouth in horror and hiding behind her teddy bear.

Yin's face was melted into two, unable to comprehend Phoenix's country of origin.

"Oh...  Oh wow man...  Dude that sucks massive," Yin responded.

Phoenix stood up and stretched.  "Ah, well, it is my home.  We are all victims of our birth in some way or another.  I just happen to have a more violent form of that.  Though most of the children in my country are eager to fight and be in the army.  Our country has crumbling defenses, and Grimm attack it constantly.  If we didn't have our army, we'd have been extinct by this point," he answered. 

Clearing his throat, Phoenix turned to Yin.  "What about you Yin?  Why are you here at Beacon?" he asked.

Yin threw his hands behind his head and fell backwards on his bed.  "Nothing as dramatic as that.  Let's just say that my dad said I either had to become a Knight, or was getting shipped off to a monastary.  I'm not really a bald head and chanting kind of guy, so here I am!" he replied.

Jade, Phoenix and Jane turned to each other, smiling meekly. 

"Well, that's uh...  That's great!" Jane offered, laughing nervously.  She patted Yin on the shoulder and tried to smile.

Jade sighed.  "What about you Jane?  Why are you here at Beacon?  Based on our fight earlier, I can tell you're a magnificent support and probably have increidble healing skills.  You could have been a accepted into a medical school, no problem!" she said brightly.  

Blushing, Jane laughed to herself.  "Uh...  Well, I'm Jane Fallabor.  I learned all my support skills while working for the royal family.  I worked closely with the castle mage, who let me borrow all of her books," she replied.

"You worked for the Royal Family?" Yin asked curiously.

Phoenix and Jade both watched in eager anticipation for her answer.

Jane smiled fondly to herself.

"My mother was the chambermaid for King Arc XXI before his passing, and I was born into service to the throne because of that.  My mother sponsored me, and I was soon granted the permission to be Princess Arc's personal attendant and tutor.  Well, until this last year, when she was old enough to be taught by the palace scholars.  So now I'm out of a job, so I chose to come to Beacon to follow my dream," Jane explained.  

Jade shifted in her seat.  "Your dream?  What's that?" she asked pleasantly.

The was a glimmer of hope in Jane's eyes. "I..  I want to be an Imperial Knight.  I want to guard my-  I mean, I want to serve the throne again, but be more than just a maid or an assistant.  With Princess Cecilia Arc coming of age to become the next Queen of Valera, she's going to need all the help she can get," Jane answered.  

Yin, Jade and Phoenix all glanced at each other in awe.

"An Imperial Knight?  You want to be one of the personal Knights that guard the members of the royal family?  That's really ambitious!" Jade responded.  

Phoenix nodded.  "Indeed.  That's the kind of power that Knights of Valera only dream of having!  You've got a lot of work ahead of you," he explained.  

"I know I can do it!" Jane responded immediately.  She rose up from her comfortable bed and thrusted her fists together.  "Without a doubt!" she said confidently.

Jade smiled.  "Then that's all there is to it!  Team Purge is going to help you do it too!" she exclaimed.  "Right guys?" she asked.  Like a sports leader, Jade put her hand in the middle.

Phoenix and Yin exchanged a mutual nod and soon put their hands in with Jade and Jane's.  

"To a new life with new possibilities," Phoenix proclaimed.

"To becoming an Imperial Knight!" Jane said eagerly.

"To becoming the next Maester of Haeven!" Jade offered.

Yin rolled his eyes.  "To not getting sent off to Haeven!" he said, breaking the rather melodic camaraderie.

The four of them nodded in unison.  

"TEAM PYRJ!" they shouted excitedly.


	6. Lives

The morning after came far too quickly for Team Purge.  Mostly due in part to Wyn's sobbing moans coming from next door as Norman woke the entire floor up in a hula-skirt and served everyone a lovely pineapple pancake.

After the conga line had passed, the four members of Team Purge dressed and showered into their casual attire.

For Jade, that meant a short-cut grey skirt and a white floral top, accentuated with a dangling emerald necklace.  She was quick on preparing for the day, taking less than 15 minutes to prepare.  Though while the rest of the team prepared for the day, she began brewing tea and pouring vitamin powder into the concoctions while masking them with copious amounts of sugar so that none of them would know the difference.  

On the other end of the spectrum was Yin.  He took more than 45 minutes in the shared bathtub, scrubbing and exfoliating every ounce of his skin while Jane put on her makeup next to him in the bathroom mirror.  His hair took the better part of half an hour, and choosing his outfit for the "team building" free day took even longer.  Thankfully, he finally settled for skin tight jeans, and a grunt-print white and black top that he combined with leather bracers and knee-high boots.

Phoenix was quick on the draw as well.  Jeans, a Mistrael army t-shirt, and open toed sandals was all he had put on.  His shower was less than five minutes, and he scrubbed himself with such ferocity that the rest of his team had watched in awe.  He would later explain that wasting water in Mistrael was a breach of regulations and subject to punishment.  Efficiency was the key, and it was a hard trait to let go.

After taking a soaking hot bath, drying out her hair, and applying a thin layer of makeup, Jane had put on a open-styled hoodie jacket with the Valera Kindgom seal on her back, with a short skirt and boots that looked almost exactly like Yin's.

After forcing down Jade's tea, the four of them walked along the Beacon sidewalks, watching as the the many other teams were eating picnics on the lawn, or sipping coffee at the many Dustbucks that seemed to line every section of the campus.

Just beside the main campus, a small strip mall had appeared in the previous few years as the growing Valera population made Beacon into a tourist attraction.  A few clothing stores and several restaurants were busy with parents visiting with their children, or teams shooting the breeze on their day off.

As the two passed a country-styled restaurant, Jane gasped loudly. 

"Ooh!  Ooh!  Can we stop here?  I hear they have the best baked bread f all time!" she exclaimed.  Glancing at Yin, Jade and Phoenix, she had the eyes of an adorable puppy.  The kind of glance that nobody could say "no" to it.

Phoenix smiled and nodded.  "Sure," he replied.

Walking up to one of the few four-person outside tables, they sat and were soon served by a balding older woman in a blood-red apron.  She handed them menus and adjusted her green undershirt to retrieve her order book.

"Howdy partners!  I'm Old Lady Ten-Ten, and I'll be your waitress?  What can I get our best and brightest Knight Apprentices?" she asked.

Jade smirked.  "How'd you know we were Knight Apprentices?  Coco-Soda, please," she asked.

Ten-Ten smiled.  "I've worked at Beacon Cafes for the last forty years.  I can tell a new face a mile away.  How about you, cutie?" she said, turning to Yin.

"Cream Soda, please.  Oh, and can we get like a huge order of biscuits?" Yin.

"Of course.  You sweetie?" Ten-Ten said, asking  Jane.

Jane smiled brightly.  "A fruit punch with kiwi strawberries!" she replied eagerly.  

"And for our resident Mr. Valera?" Ten-Ten said with a cocked smile.  

"Vitamin Water with a slice of lime, please," Phoenix responded.

Ten-Ten bowed her head and went back inside the building to take their orders.

Taking  deep breath, Phoenix tilted his head back and sighed dreamily.  

"You know, Valera is such a nice place.  I'm glad I came here," he said, absentmindedly fidgeting with his contact lenses.

Jane was face-deep into her menu, humming contently.  "Say...  Phoenix, why do you wear those contacts?  I think the stars are cool in your eyes!" she asked.

Having already decided on his meal, Phoenix folded his menu away.  "Oh, it's a personal thing.  Since it's a symbol of Mistrael blood, it makes people a little uncomfortable.  You wouldn't believe the kind of stereotypes people think about my people.  The biggest one is that we're blood thirsty war machines with a desire to conquor the world!  Funny..." he mumbled to himself.  He shrugged.  "As if we have time for war.  We're too busy fighting off Grimm and protecting our borders," he said with a dark remorse.

"Are the Grimm really that bad in Mistrael?  Don't they have walls like Valera?" Jade asked.

Phoenix nodded.  "Yeah.  We have no idea how the get inside the kingdom borders, but they do.  Nightly attacks aren't uncommon.  When I was still living there, I took the night watch most days and was never bored.  Thankfully, they're all small grim, so long range sniping worked well," he replied.

Ten-Ten arrived to the table with the wide variety of drinks that the four had ordered.  She passed them out and quickly retrieved her order book again.  "Now...  What can I get you little warriors to eat?" she asked.

Jane threw her hand up in the air.  "I want the Triple Turkey Sub with extra pickles and double cheese!  A side of fries topped with melted cheese, and a bowl of fresh fruit!" she ordered, handing Ten-Ten the menu as she finished.

"Steak and a baked potato please.  No sauce and no butter please," Phoneix replied simply, handing his menu as well.

Yin thought for a few more moments, tapping his finger against the menu.  "Uh, how about a double cheeseburger with sweet potato fries," he replied.

Last to order, Jade handed her menu over.  "A fruit salad, please.  Oh, and no dressing please, I'm vegan" she said politely.

While Ten-Ten walked away with their food choices, Yin turned to Jade almost immediately.  

"Vegan, really?" Yin asked.

Jade nodded.  "Yes.  Well, I suppose Vegan isn't the proper term.  I do drink sodas, and love fruit juices which I'm sure they have some form of animal by-product, but I'm lenient with that regard.  Mostly, I'm just an animal lover and hate to see them suffer and eaten," she said.

Phoenix, Yin and Jane checked each other nervously.

Laughing in response, Jade shook her head.  "Don't worry.  I'm not going to try and convert any of you.  Though I will say that I have a lot more energy and rarely get sick, and that's all I'll say on the matter," she replied.

Phoenix smirked.  "Sorry, I'm more of a meat and potato kind of person.  It's all we had in Mistrael, really," he said.

Scooting her chair up, Jane took a deep breath and interrupted the current lines of discussion.  "Okay, so let's do something fun to get to know each other.  How about we take turns asking questions to anyone we want to know more about?" she asked.

"Sounds great!  After all, that's what today is all about.  Getting to know each other so we can generate a great level of synergy and-" Phoenix replied, interrupted as Yin covered his mouth.

"Question Number One!  Jane, spill what it was like working for the Royal Family.  Did you get to meet King Arc and Princess Cecila?" Yin aked.

Jane beamed from ear to ear.  "Oh, it was wonderful!  Ever since I was a little girl, I got to be a playmate for Princess Cecila before I became her attendant.  The family is so nice and wonderful, and I'd die for them any day of the week!  And yes, I did get to be with King Arc.  Since I was his daughter's attendent, I saw him frequently.  He's a wonderful and kind man that puts Valera first, and loves each and every one of his subjects!" she said happily.

Deviously, Jane turned right back to Yin.  "Question for you Yin!  You're really big on your looks, right?  Is there a special someone out there that you dress up all fancy for?" she asked curiously.

Yin laughed.  "Nah, not really.  I like clubbing, and I've had a few boyfriends when I turned fourteen, but nothing serious," he responded.

Phoneix raised his hand. "Then why do you dress like you do, if you're not trying to impress someone?" he asked.

Rolling his eyes, Yin scoffed.  "Dude, I dress for _me_.  I want to look hot, and I want the world to know that I'm going to be the biggest hunk when I get older.  Plus, there may be a day when I do want to snag me a nice looking guy.  I don't want to look like a schlub, do I?" he answered wildly with animated hand motions.

"I suppose not," Phoenix said.  Quickly, he glanced over to Jade.  "So, partner, if you don't mind me asking...  You came as Haeven's representitve with Norman Valkirye, correct?  Is there someting between you two?" he asked.

Jade smiled fondl.  "Norman and I are like brother and sister.  We were orphaned at a very young age during a Grimm Raid on our villages.  Because of that, Haeven laws stated that we were to go into the care of the monks.  Norman was a boy, so he was put into the Order of Thor, which trained men.  I could have gone inot either the warrior monks or into the priesthood, where I could have become a nun.  I was angry at the Grimm, so I chose the warrior monks to become a swordmaster.  It was pure coincidence that Norman became the strongest in the Order of Thor, and I became the strongest in the warrior monks.  Our arranged marriage has been set for when he turns 21," she explained softly.

Spitting out her drink, Jane coughed loudly.

"M..  M...  Marriage!?  You two are engaged?!" she shrieked.

Yin dropped his glass, and Phoenix looked on in surprise as well.

Jade nodded.  "It is Haeven tradition.  The strongest warriors, whether they be male and female, male and male, or female and female, are arranged into marriage by the Maesters.  Partners who can biologically produce children are asked to do so, while partners who cannot are given children from the programs to raise and train as their own.  It is a way to grow and consolidate strength within our nation," she explained.

Jane was covering her mouth in horror.  "But..  But...  Do you even love him?  Marriage should be about love, not strength or social standing!" she exclaimed.

Chuckling, Jade shook her head.  "No.  I don't.  Norman is a friend and a brother to me.  We are the strongest and can give strong children to our homeland.  it is the way things are done, and I accept this as part of my path to becoming a Maester," she said.

The table went awfully quiet afterwards, until Jade put down her glass of soda.  "I...  I have to ask, Phoenix.  How exactly did you win your Games?  It's a trying challenge for all," she said.

Clearing his throat, Phoenix folded his arms and crossed his legs.  "I was lucky.  While I would never speak ill of my brothers and sisters in arms, I can say that at that age, none of them wanted to be warriors.  Instead of spending their time training as I had done, they chose to invest their time in trivial childhood things such as reading and education.  When the time for The Games came, I was able to knock almost all of my age group out within three hours and having them removed from the arena.  After that, it was just a matter of me staying awake for 24 hours and continuing to fight.  They brought me training dummies to act as bodies to fight.  It was hard and grueling, but I survived.  After the twenty-four hours were over, I was carried out into the streets and presented to my people as the sole Champion of the Games," he replied, with a proud smile.

Yin turned away.  "So...  All your friends were forced into the army after that?  For the rest of their lives?" he asked.

Phoenix nodded.  "Yes.  Their ceremonial neck chain was attached that same night, and they were taken away to our underground training center without a single personal belonging.  As the Champion, I was permitted to oversee the process.  I'd...  I'd rather not speak about that night, if you don't mind.  As I said, I don't wish to speak ill of my brothers and sisters, it's a personal matter," he replied.

The others nodded and an awkward silence fell over the table.

"All right, all right, I'm leaving!" Ven shouted.

Team Purge turned behind them.  

Their mentor, Ven, was being escorted out of a clothing store.  A particularly large security guard pushed him to the ground and kicked dust after him.

"New owners, animal.  They don't serve the Sin-Ridden, so don't come back!" he yelled.

Ven stood up, dusting off his school uniform.  There was an angry glare on his face, matched with a near tear-ridden eye line.  

"What's that about?" Phoenix asked curiously.

Jane bit her bottom lip.

"There's...  There's a law in Valera.  It says that every city, company or organization is allowed to choose if they serve faunus.  Most of them don't," Jane said sadly.  She sipped her drink slowly.

Phoenix spun around and glared at Jane and Yin.  "What?!  Why?  Why would anyone not want to serve a faunus?  My brother-in-arms Kakara was a faunus, and he was one of the best warriors in his squad!  Are..  Are they frightened?" he asked, clearly confused.

Yin sighed.

"It's a long story," he mumbled quietly.


	7. History

Classes were not as bad as Yin had expected them to be.

No math, no literature, and little history. 70% of their classes were all combat-based, where they would battle against smaller Grimm, their fellow classmates,or more training robots. Exhausting, but a lot more fun than8 hours in a classroom. Phoenix was superb in these classes, getting the reputation of a "god" as he continued his undefeated combat streak, even against the Senior Knights.

There were some dust lectures, and even a smithing class to help improve or create better weapons. Rust had taken up shop in the smithing section every night after class, much to the excitement of Professor Patricia, and the utter angst of Braith, who continued to attempt flirtatious advantages. Unfortunately, the only swords being polished were the freshly smithed ones that Rust created.

Though there were the few war-history classes that were required to graduate. Classes that Yin had zero idea about and even less interest.. Still, Jane forced him to attend, dragging him to class no matter what his excuse was. Apparently, Miss Fallabor was quite the historian.

During one such class, Yin banged his head against his desk while the lecture lingered.

Jane shushed him, as she watched on and took a plethora of notes.

At the front of the lecture hall, a hyperactive woman with long green hair dashed back and forth across her whiteboard. She had been blabbering on about the history of Valera for what seemed like hours. Professor Oob, their instructor, was particularly passionate about history.

"To conclude, the Arc family took the throne of Valera after the Faunas War in 1604, when the ruling Vaulner family was overpowered by the Arc family warriors of light. King Arc the first, in an act that shocked the world, performed the first summoning in history. Using his family's semblance, King Arc called upon Alexander, a being of the heavens that destroyed the original Castle Valera in what historians called a full fledged "smiting of the heavens". After the Vaulner family was destroyed, the Arcs took the throne and made peace with the faunus nation of Vacaeu," she said. Professor Oob was excited, drinking from a side flask as her pearly whites gleamed.

"Who cares?" Yin whispered under his breath.

Taking a drink of some mysterious liquid canteen she kept on her desk, Professor Oob seemed to get a fiftieth wind and continued with the lesson.

"Afterwords, King Arc I established Beacon Military Academy and the ranks of the Valera Knights. What little treasury remained after the Arc War went into building our campus, even coming before rebuilding Valera Castle. Now, for those of you who performed the required reading and for bonus points, can anyone tell me why the Knights were created and why there was such a haste in the reconstruction of the military?" Professor Oob asked.

Yin watched Jane's hand raise up high in the air, jumping up and down as though she were a Hispanic bean.

"Miss Fallabor?" Professor Oob asked, pointing in Jane's direction.

Standing tall, Jane cleared her throat.

"King Arc the first was different than the previous royal family that ruled Valera. Instead of asking the citizens to protect the castle, King Arc the First wanted the royal family to protect the citizens. The founding of the Knights got prioritized because King Arc wanted his people safe from the creatures of Grimm. Not to mention the still looming threat of Vacaeu. Even with all the power of Alexander, the grand summon, the people wanted a level of safety that nations like Atalanta and Mistrael had. Hence why the Knights of Valera to this day are a symbol of hope to the people. They were the first time that the Royal Family had put the people first," Jane exclaimed. There was an odd sense of pride in her voice.

Professor Oob applauded. "Well done! Miss Fallabor, you are a keen analyst of history. I'm genuinely proud!" he said.

The classroom’s atmosphere did not last for long..

"A lot of shit is what that is," Braith commented. His tone was bitter, and clearly agitated.

Yin, Jane and the rest of the class all turned to Braith. He had his feet kicked up on the desktop, rolling his eyes as Rust looked at his partner sadly..

"The Arc Royal Family is a joke. Even in the first years of history, the Arcs had a deep hatred of the faunus population. Their"peace" with Vaceau basically was a treaty that said to keep faunus out of Valera. All they cared about were humans and keeping the status quo. In fact, the "hated" Vaulner family were pro-faunus and wanted to bring about a peace between the races. Hence why the people at the time hated and revolted against them, and why the Arcs were so popular. Even to this day, I bet Princess Cecilia Arc would rather go to war again than give faunus any rights in this country," Braith said, turning to Jane with a dark glare.

Jane's fists curled in a tight ball, and Yin could feel heat radiating off her body. She held something back.

Clearing her throat, Professor Oob sighed.

"The faunus. A race of human/animal hybrids. They have a human body, but animal-like parts and personalities. They've existed since the beginning of time. Royal Historians claim that faunus were born when a Grimm and a human bore a child together, which has not been proven. The country of Vaceau is home to 70% of the world's faunus population. Due to political and racial discrepancies, the nations of Valera, Haeven, and Atalanta have disparaging laws that limit the rights of the faunus population. In Valera and Atalanta, faunus are not permitted to vote on the Valera Royal Family public ordinances,or the Atalanta general elections. Haeven does not permit the faunus to enter their ranks of warrior-monks, describing them as "unnatural". To the world. Only Mistrael gives the faunus rights, and only because the Mistrael Council views all races as equal in the eyes of war and peace. Vacaue is run and operated by an all faunus race, and supports the efforts of the Blood Beasts, a terrorist group that hopes to eliminate all human life that opposes the faunus. These are the facts of the world, backed up by physical evidence and paperwork. I refuse to allow my classroom to fall into a political warfare. You are free to have opinions, but I ask you to please keep them out of my class. This is a fact-only zone, thank you," Professor Oob explained..

Yin watched the class ignore Professor Oob, and break off into arguing packs of angry teens.

Frustrated, both Braith and Jane packed up their belongings and left the classroom as Professor Oob attempted to regain control of her classroom. A hopeless endeavor, to be sure.

Sighing, Yin packed up his bags and ran after Jane.

He wasn't a few steps into the classroom corridors when he saw Braith and Jane arguing.

"So you'd support the Royal Family, even when you know they’re oppressing an entire race of people? How could you be that heartless?! I can't believe I'm stuck in a squad with a racist!" Braith shouted.

Standing her ground, Jane bore an angry glare into Braith's golden eyes.

"The Royal Family has done great things for the world! They keep the peace between the nations, and sends Knights to support developing countries and towns! It’s because of them that we don't have to worry about war! They built the walls that keep the Grimm out of our homes! They fund our school, and use their military to serve the people! How can you say they're worthless?!" Jane shot back.

Braith laughed. "Sure. Two or three good deeds wipe out all their faults. In the last ten years, the faunus have protested and begged for equal rights herein Valera, a country that prides itself on “acceptance”. All they ask is for a right to vote and a right to shop and go out in public without hoods or masks like a human! Is that so much to ask? If the Royal Family can put an ordinance out to the public about a National Cheese Day, surely they could have given the faunus their time?" he shouted.

Jane bit the bottom of her lip.

"Look at our mentor, Ven. He's an out faunus and shows off his ears. Because of that, there are maybe ten stores in all of Valera that will serve him. He couldn't be leader of his team, and can never be an Imperial Knight. Hell, he was damn lucky to even get into Beacon! Had it not been for the proactive Headmistress Ozlyn, faunas wouldn't even be allowed to apply here?" Braith said angrily.

Jane shook angrily.

"King Arc the Twenty-Third? I'm glad he's finally on his death bed. He left one heir who's weak and has no combat experience. I wouldn't be surprised if the blood beasts took her out any day now. Alexander can't possibly hope to save the Arcs this time. Their overpowered semblance will die with Princess-"

A loud slap echoed in the corridor. Jane's hand had slapped Braith across the face, silencing him.

Stomping away, Jane turned around, letting her cape hit Braith in the face. Jane grabbed Yin by the hand and drug him away down the corridor and out of the classroom area.

They soon found themselves in the central plaza, the center-most point in Beacon that led to every department in Beacon. In the middle of it stood a fountain that could double as an Olympic swimming pool. A statue of a Knight slaying a Grimm was in the fountain, with water spouting out of the Knight's sword.

Throwing her things to the side of the fountain, Jane sat on the water's edge. Yin plopped down beside her, and watched her pouty face struggle to waver.

Yin cleared his throat. "I uh.. You okay?" he asked.

"He's right," Jane finally expelled.

Yin turned to her, and watched her wipe away a set of tears. "The... The Royal Family is racist. They always have been, and probably always will be. But... All those horrible things he said was right, and I... I can't dismiss them. But it’s not all their fault," she explained.

Adjusting his position at the water fountain, Yin absentmindedly fiddled with his dust bracelets. 

"Why?" Yin inquired.

Jane sighed. "They’re all taught at a young age that the faunas are pure evil. They’re made to think that all faunas are like the Blood Beasts. That they're beasts, no better than Grimm. I.. I remember King Arc teaching his daughter about them. He... He told her..." she said, gripping her staff tightly. "He told her that she needed to see for herself. That the only way she could ever hope to understand anything was to find out for herself. Princess Cecilia wants to meet with a faunas and understand the Blood Beasts. The Imperial Knights forbid it, so... So she doesn't know any better. All she knows is what she sees on TV. If she could only just get out of the castle, then maybe she'd be different and maybe something would change at last," she said quietly.

Turning to Yin, Jane tried to shake off her sadness. "So... So Yin, where do you fall on this argument?" she asked.

Yin looked up into the sky. He fell backwards, letting the top of his torso landing the water. It was warm, and he let the dampness overwhelm him. "My dad... My dad told me a long time ago to never judge anyone until you meet them for yourself. He said that he ended up being best friends with a psychopath, enemies with a nun, and played poker every Monday with a mobster. You never know someone until you give them a chance," he said. Letting the rest of his body slip into the pool of water in the fountain, Yin hummed happily. "I've met Ven, and he's a cool guy. I like Ven for being Ven, not because he's a faunus. I've never met a member of the Royal Family, so who am I to judge?" he asked.

Jane jumped off the fountain's edge and turned around to face Yin. She snickered at her partner, who swam in the fountain as though it were a pool.

"Well... I guess that's a good way of looking at things," Jane said, picking up her bags again. "I have met the Royal Family. King Arc worked hard to be the kind man he is today. Princess Cecilia just wants the kingdom to be happy. I've never really met a faunus except for Ven, and you're right, he is a splendid guy. Still..." she mumbled.

Shaking off her line of thought, Jane shook her head. "I.. I've got to go. Thanks for listening to me be angry Yin, I appreciate it!" she announced, waving as she dashed off towards the Beacon Library.

Yin took a deep breath. He got some odd looks by the passersby, but he didn't bother to look at them.

"I hate it when people fight over stupid shit," Yin thought to himself, slamming his eyes shut tightly.

  
  


 

 

 

 


	8. Friend and Foe

“ You're leaving? Why would you leave your own son? Your stepson?”

  
  


“ There's something I have to do Taiyang. Something important. Something for his sake.”

  
  


“ Raven, you can't! You can't abandon him! You... You can't abandon me! Not again... I... Not again...”

  
  


“ YIN!” Jade screamed.

  
  


Coming out of his trance, Yin's eyes sprang open. He nearly fell over his grocery cart, dumping his and Jade's haul for the evening.

  
  


While Phoenix trained with Rust in the combat training room, and with Jade at her family in Valera Castle, they left Jade and Yin to do the grocery shopping for the week.

  
  


Jade, still in her combat attire from the classes earlier in the day, tilted her head as she placed a bin of tea leaves into the car. “You okay Yin? You've been out of it for a few days now. Ever since Braith and Jane had their fallout,” she asked, folding her arms.

  
  


Sighing, Yin pushed the car forward. He exited the tea and vitamin aisle and went straight for the produce station. “Nothing. Say, Jade, when's the semblance exam again? I wanted to practice with Jane's barriers again before we went in for the exam,” he said, picking out a dozen ripe apples and placing them carefully in his basket.

  
  


“ A week from tomorrow. They pushed it back since Team RWBN went out on a mission to the Emerald Forest to clear a Grimm outbreak. Personally, I'm glad. Phoenix still doesn't quite “grasp” my skill,” Jade said, thumping several melons and placing them in the basket with the rest of their groceries.

  
  


Yin rolled his eyes. “Jade, you can turn invisible at will. He literlaly cannot grasp you,” he shot back. Satisfied with the fruit they had selected, Jade and Yin moved over to the vegetables.

  
  


Jade sighed. “Yeah, but you'd think he could fight in a way that he didn't hit me while I'm invisible! Remember last week when we were dueling Adele and Pen? He hit me with Achilles while I tried for a stealth attack, and it hurt like a train to the face!” she exclaimed loudly.

  
  


Snorting, Yin hid a reddening face behind a cabbage.

  
  


“ Oh shut up, it's not funny!” Jade said, as she threw a leek at Yin's head. “I've never had to fight like that before, with a partner that never knows where I'm hiding! When I was partners with Norman in Haeven,everything was perfect! He knew where I was at all times, even when I was invisible. We were in sync, and it was wonderful,” she explained with an angry huff.

  
  


Yin chuckled.

  
  


The two moved their cart over to the magazine rack for their final selections. Yin snagged up Magical Maladies for Jane, and a copy of Handsome Hunks of Haeven for himself. Jade took a copy of Glorious Glyphs, and a Weekly Weapons for Phoenix.

  
  


“Yin, are you and Jane working well togehter?” Jade asked, flipping through her spell magazine. Her face was stern.

  
  


Obsessed with the center fold out of his magazine, Yin smirked playfully. “Oh yeah, Jane's cool. She knows how to get an extra inch of height on my hair, and share our exfoliating cream. We get coffee after class, and talk about everything until dark. We work well in combat together too. She buffs me up with spells, and I can beat the tar out of anything,” he answered. Yin put a handful of carrots into the basket. “So, got a problem with Phoenix?” he asked.

  
  


Jade sighed. “Yes and no. Phoenix is a great leader, and I respect his strength. I just don't think he has anything in that head of his except for combat. It's hard to hold a conversation with him, there' just too much of a cultural barrier between us. I tried to talk to him last week about my Zen-Breathing Technique, and he remarked that breathing is a waste of time when it could be spent training with a sword,”she said.

  
  


Yin put away his dirty magazine in the cart, and put a hand on Jade's shoulder.

  
  


“ Meh. Jade, listen, you're not going to get to know everyone overnight. You've spent your whole life fighting one way and living another. Now you're in a completely different country, and on a team with four nutjobs who all came from completely different lives. There's bound to be some disconnect. Give it time. We work well as a team, and that's all I need to know. I think you're awesome, and so does Jane and Phoenix,” Yin said proudly. Doing a double take at the magazine rack, Yin quickly snagged a brand new edition of “The Men of Mistrael”, with a half-naked gladiator on the front. “Oh, and if we do something that bugs you, tell us. We can't fix something we don't know is broken! Just like the time when I booby-trapped Rust's sword with week-old milk,” he responded.

  
  


Jade smiled and rolled her eyes at the comment. “Thank you, I appreciate that sentiment,” she replied.

  
  


“ Stop, thief!” a cashier screamed.

  
  


Jade and Yin swung around immediately. At one of the registered, a black cloaked individual behind a Grimm mask was hefting a sack of money of his shoulder.

  
  


“ You refused to serve us, so we'll serve ourselves. Let this be a warning to you. Should you fail to serve the faunus, your money is forfeit” a dark synthesized voice exploded from the Grimm Mask. Jumping off the counter, the cloaked person dashed off into the streets as the citizens looked on in horror.

  
  


“Shall we?” Jade asked.

  
  


Yin nodded. “Let's go!” he said in an eager reply.

  
  


Like two bullets, Jade and Yin ran through the open door and dashed after the thief. The individual was fast, keeping a good pace ahead of them. His cloak fluttered in the breeze, lifting high enough to show that there was an armed belt around his waist. Chakrams, dust bombs and a combat knife were dangling intimidatingly.

  
  


“Can you give me a boost?” Jade asked.

  
  


“On it!” Yin shouted.

  
  


Jade leapt into the air as Yin stopped in the middle of the street. A bright red aura amassed in his bracelets and flowed to his fists.

  
  


Elegantly, Jade landed on Yin's fist. He cocked it back with the full weight of Jade on his arm. “Special delivery!” Yin spat.

  
  


In an explosion, Jade few as her emerald katanas appeared out of thin air in her hands.

  
  


Her accelerated speed allowed Jade to reach the robber easily.

  
  


“ Stay out of this, if you know what's good for you,” the synthetic voice said. He spun around, grabbing one of his chakrams and holding it in front of his body like a shield. A large white glyph appeared that quickly changed into a black tone. It was in the shape of a bloody heart, cut in two.

  
  


Jade tried to slice through it, only to find her blade stopped by another.

  
  


Another blade being held by another Jade. A Jade without any irises, and whose clothes were a mix of black and white.

  
  


“A clone?” Jade asked to herself. Bouncing off her copy, she landed on the ground and thrust forward once again.

  
  


As her katana struck the clone's chest, it exploded into a bright flashbang. It threw Jade backwards, into Yin's chest. The twofell to the ground with a loud thud.

  
  


The flash bang finished, and the thief was long gone.

  
  


Jade stood up , cleaving a chuck out of the street. “He got away!” she shouted angrily.

  
  


Grunting, Yin stood up and dusted off his leather jacket. “Great, just great. I'm 0/2 for criminals since I became a Knight. I'm beginning to think it's just being associated with you guys that makes me a failure,” he grumbled.

  
  


+

  
  


The royal bedchamber of King Arc the XXIII was a luxurious region of the castle. Covered in cobblestone on the walls and floors, warm rugs and drapes covered the old chamber's original design. A tapestry bed had long white linens that covered the bed. The King was hidden from view, but on the inside, Jane sat cross-legged beside him.

  
  


King Arc's face was swollen. His body sweated profusely, and the ice-elemental dust crystals lined into his nightgown doing little to comfort his temperature. His once powerful figure was now skeletal, smaller than Jane.

  
  


Jane wiped his forehead with a wet washcloth.

  
  


“ Classes went well my first week. History, magic and dueling classing, I'm passing with amazing grades! Of course though, I don't know anything about hand-to-hand fighting, so I'm not doing well there and Professor Glynn hates my guts. I'm working on it though! My partner's brother Rust has been teaching me after school about how to fight with my staff , and says he'll modify it so that it doubles as a detachable combat staff and sniper rifle. I'm... I'm worried about his designs, but he knows more about that then I do, so I'm giving him carte blanche,” Jane explained. Her face beamed. “I love it at school. N..Not that I didn't love it here, but it's a whole different world there. I've got friends, and I can be my own person. Thanks for sending me there, your majesty,” she said.

  
  


King Arc smiled. He took his hand and traced Jane's cheekbones. “I'm.. I'm so proud of you. You've grown up into a strong woman that I know will do our country a great service. You're... You're the striking resemblance of your mother,” he said warmly. King Arc's painful face seemed to ease ever so slightly. “And... Don't call me majesty. You know it pains me to hear those words,” he whispered.

  
  


Wringing out her washcloth in the pan next to her side, Jane tried to smile. “The guards are outside just by the door. It's only proper, your majesty,” she answered.

  
  


“ You.. You shouldn't have to,” King Arc said, struggling to raise himself up to face her. The force required was monumental, but he succeeded. King Arc kissed Jane's forehead. “You're not a mere assistant to my child. You're not just the offspring of a chambermaid. You are... You are my daughter, Jeanne' Vi Fallabor De Arc,, and you should be treated as such.” he said quietly. There was a somberness about him, and tears grew in his eyes.

  
  


Jane shook her head. “No. No, that's all I can be. I can't be Jeanne' Vi Arc. If I were? Cecilia would lose her place as Queen. Your wife would be heartbroken to know the truth. My mother's memorial would forever be tarnished. I... I can be Jane Fallabor. For the kingdom, and for your memory,” she said. Jane gently placed King Arc back down on the bed, fluffing his pillow. “This is what my mother wanted. This is what the kingdom needs. If I am of the Arc family, it is my duty to protect the kingdom from all of its enemies. I am playing my part as your daughter,” she answered.

  
  


King Arc struggled to wipe his tears. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I've hid the truth from the world. My affair with your mother should have never hurt you. You should have been born an Arc, and lived a life of peace and luxury, just like your sister. Instead, the castle sees you as little more than a peasant, that I trust. My daughter, your sister, doesn't even know that her best friend is her own flesh and blood. My selfishness has damned you. I... I'm sorry,” he choked out weakly.

  
  


Jane hugged King Arc's neck tightly. “I love you father... Rest easy, okay? I promise I'll protect my little sister with everything I have! I'll become an Imperial Knight, father, and make you proud. I'll be there for Cecilia and be part of the kingdom. We'll be together, I promise, with all my heart,” she announced determinedly.

  
  


As Jane rose up from her hug, King Arc went into a coughing fit.. He tried to use his free arm to grab Jane, but couldn't find the strength to accomplish the task.

  
  


“ I'll leave now. You need your rest,” Jane said, beginning to turn away.. She stepped off the bed, and pulled away the silk curtains.

  
  


“ Wait... Jeanne',” King Arc begged. He held his hand out, catching her by the wrist.

  
  


“Father?” Jane asked, kneeling to his side.

  
  


King Arc's hands were ice-cold. They caused Jane to shiver by contact alone.

  
  


“ Jeanne'... It's about... It's about Alexander,” King Arc stammered, struggling to breathe.

  
  


“ Father?” Jane replied.

  
  


Coughing loudly, Jane could spot blood on King Arc's lips. His illness was progression.

  
  


“ Je... Jeanne'. Your sister, she... She... She hasn't inherited Alexander. She calls to him, and he does not answer. That means that you are-.. You are...” he said, struggling to breath. Then, in an instant, the man's body went limp in her hand.

  
  


Jane's eyes went wild.

  
  


“ Medic! Medic, get in here this instant!” Jane screamed. She rose up and dashed to the entrance of the royal bedchamber.

  
  


On King Arc's forehand, the crescent moon symbol of their kingdom had vanished completely. His eyes were distant.

  
  


As Jane's hand thrust open the iron handles for the guards to enter, a freshly inked crescent symbol of Valera was now singed onto her forearm, in the same position that it had been on King Arc's. 

  
  
  


 


End file.
